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Star power down, security up for White House correspondents’ dinner

The Hill's managing editor, Bob Cusack, got the latest scoop on the annual White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner from In the Know columnist Judy Kurtz.

"This year is turning out to be a little more low key than in years past. We do have A-listers coming to town — Nicole Kidman, Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johansson —but not as many as years past," said Kurtz.

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She points out that perhaps people are "OD'd" on Washington, given all of the other recent events like the inauguration and the presidential election.

Star power may be down this year, but security is being beefed up for Saturday's event. It just might not be that obvious, reports Kurtz.

"Experts are telling me there will be an increased presence …. But they also say that the Secret Service doesn't want the story, with a bunch of, thousands of journalists at this dinner to be security," she said. "They think it's going to be very discreet. Name of the game here is discretion, as far as security."

Follow The Hill's In The Know columnist Judy Kurtz (@JudyKurtz) and Features Editor Emily Goodin for (@Emilylgoodin) this weekend for live updates from the White House Correspondents' Association dinner and related parties.